This is a story of a historic Dutch castle and the Essenburg family who lived there, working as caretakers and gardeners of the castle grounds for many years in the Netherlands
This is a story of a historic Dutch castle and the Essenburg family who lived there, working as caretakers and gardeners of the castle grounds for many years in the Netherlands. Like many other immigrants to America, the Essenburgs left their home county to “improve their circumstances” (as written in their emigration records of 1868). And like other Dutch immigrants, this led them eventually to the small colony town of Borculo, Michigan.
The story begins with the history of Kasteel de Essenburgh. It was built in 1652 during the “Dutch Golden Age” – the century in the Netherlands when the country’s merchants, bankers, and far-flung trading companies were thriving around the world. They were establishing colonies in the East Indies, South Africa, and even in America, as New Amsterdam in New York.
At this time in the Netherlands there was an assembly of wealthy men known as Knights. The country’s wealth at this time allowed squire John Coolwagon to build Kasteel de Essenburgh in an attempt to earn a place within the Knighthood of the Veluwe. Belonging to this group had social and financial benefits. It also required the members to meet stringent requirements to join. However, after the castle was built, his attempted knighthood was met with rejection and he was forced to surrender his property to his creditors who then sold it to a rich nobleman.
For the next 300 years the castle was owned by several wealthy families who used it as a personal residence, desirous for its location in one of the most scenic areas of the Veluwe region, rich in forests, heathlands, and wildlife. After a series of ownership changes, in 1818 it was purchased by the wealthy Sandberg family. They restored the castle and its grounds to its original splendor, also purchasing large tracts of land surrounding the castle, which they then rented tenants and sharecroppers.
In 1834 Jan Jansen Essenburg became the official caretaker of the castle grounds for Baron Samuel Sandberg. He was given a converted/abandoned paper mill on the Ottemolen Inlet as his home to live in near the castle, as one of a number of paper mills located on Hierden Brook, the river that flowed through the property at that time. His 10 children were all born there from 1834 to 1852, and they lived there until they immigrated to America in 1868. There was a schoolhouse nearby where the children attended and were also taught the catechism. The family attended the Netherlands Reformed Church in the village of Hierden, where all of the children were baptized.
Hierden was located 5 miles from the larger city of Harderwijk. This old city was founded in the year 1231. In the early years it was a prosperous city located on the shore of the huge body of water known as the Zuiderzee. It was an important trading, shipping, and fishing city. The early city was fortified with brick walls. The first church built there was called the Grote Kerk and was built around 1335. It was a Roman Catholic Cathedral as the country of the Netherlands was still Roman Catholic, as this was the time before the Protestant Reformation. Sometime after the Reformation the Netherlands chose the Reformed faith as the state religion.
Jan Jansen was born in the year 1806. At this time many of the common folk did not have a family or last name. In 1811 the Netherlands became part of the French Empire, ruled by Napoleon. He ordered all the people who didn’t have a last name to obtain one. The Essenburg family chose the name of the castle for their family’s name, as it was common to choose a geographical place, such as a region, city, castle, or farm as the basis for a surname.
When the Essenburg family left for America in 1868, the Sandbergs continued owning and operating the castle and the huge estate until 1926 when family differences and financial difficulties forced them to sell the castle and surrounding farmlands. One of the later owners added an “h” to the end of the name Essenburg, and this spelling remains to this day.
During World War II the castle was taken over by the Hermann Goring Division of the German army and used as a command post until 1943.
In 1950 Kasteel de Essenburgh was purchased by an order of the Roman Catholic Church called the Norbertine Abbey of Berne. The order extensively restored the castle and its grounds once again. Soon it became a popular event center for weddings and retreats. The castle was then further expanded and renovated into a hotel to host the people who attended these events.
Today the Norbertine order consists of a luxury hotel, as well as a monastery and a seminary on the castle grounds. Folks can now go online to book a night’s stay at the old Kasteel de Essenburgh.
https://borculo.weebly.com/blog/the-essenburg-family-a-journey-from-a-castle-in-the-netherlands-to-a-log-cabin-in-borculo-michigan-part-i-by-robert-essenburg-with-beverly-essenburg-harkema
Free
- WiFi
- Breakfast
info@kasteelessenburgh.com
- Private property (hotel)
- Meetings and events arrangement